Electric heater



Jan. 24, 1950 c. F. PETERSON ELECTRIC HEATER 2 Sheets-Shegt 1 Filed NOV. 20, 1946 BOTH TOP 8077/ 60 ONLY LOW I H .m

. a v I I w, g fi Jan. 24, 1950 c. F. F ETERSON 2,495,419

ELECTRIC HEATER Filed Nov. 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 wu Moi MA /F455 kpfrf/asafl,

Patented Jan. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC HEATER Charles F. Peterson, New York, N. Y.

Application November 20, 1946, Serial No. 710,998

2 Claims. (Cl. 219-19) The present invention relates to an electrical heater and more specifically pertains to a device of this character adapted to provide a space heater and further provide meansfor heating articles thereon, such as cooking utensils. A more detailed feature of the invention pertains to the structure of the heat-radiating fins which form parts of the housing for the device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical heater wherein the housing is formed of a plurality of relatively short cylindrically shaped members having annular flanges extending inwardly therefrom to provide fins terminating adjacent a heating element whereby heat is conducted to the cylindrical flange portions for dissipation therefrom.

A further object of the invention pertains to the housing for an electrical heater formed of a plurality of juxtaposed elements each having a cylindrical portion and an annular fin extending inwardly from the cylindrical part so as to provide an overall cylindrically shaped housing with fins conducting the heat to the periphery of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a housing for an electrical heater formed of a plurality of cup-shaped units, each having an annular seatat the periphery thereof for receiving the skirt of another cup-shaped unit thereby preventing a lateral displacement of one unit Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. I

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating circuit connections controlling the heating elements. I The invention is directed to an electrical heater adapted to serve both'as a space heater for raising the temperature of the surrounding air and for cooking purposes or. heating other articles. The heater includes two heating elements, both of which may be employed as means for'heating the surrounding air and one of the heating ele"-. ments' is adapted to serve as means for heating.

2 cooking utensils such as in brewing coffee or the like. A characteristic feature of the invention pertains to the housing structure which encases the heating elements and provides heat conducting elements which extend into the proximity of the sources of heat and thereby promotes the dissipation of heat from the outer surface of the housing. The housing or casing includes a plurality of cup-shaped units which are adapted to be assembled in juxtaposed relationship to provide a housing for the heater of any desired height. and portions of the cup-shaped units provide fins which extend from positions adjacent the heater elements to the periphery of the device and thereby facilitate the transmission of heat to the outer surface of the housing to promote more efficient dissipation of heat into the surrounding air.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at ID a base for the housing which is generally cylindrically shaped and is attached at its lower end to a rigid disc-shaped member I2. The disc I2 is preferably formed of an insulating material such as asbestos bonded with a suitable heat-resistant cement. The disc I2 is provided with a plurality of holes 13 spaced therearound to permit access of air to the interior of the housing hereinafter described. The base portion In of the housing is attached to the periphery of the disc l2 in any suitable manner such as by means of a plurality of screws 2|. The wall of the housing member I0 is provided with a series of holes Hi to further facilitate the passage of air through the lower portion of the housing. The upper peri heral edge of the sheet metal forming the housing part Ill is bent outwardly as indicated at H! and upwardlv and thereafter is'bent downwardly to provide a bead 6 with the inner surface thereof having a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the housing portion Ill. The sheet metal continues inwardly from the bead IE to provide an annular fin or heat conducting ele- 'form the housing proper.

The disc-shaped member l2 provides means for supporting one of, the heater elements represented'generally at 22 This heater element may be of a conventional type including a filament 25 wound heli'cally on a frusto-conically shaped insulator and heat resistant member 26. The-support 26 is adapted to be threaded into a socket member 2'1. This socket member is mounted on the disc E2 in the central portion thereof in any suitable manner such as by rivets 25. The heater element 22 extends upwardly through the housing and the opening H3 in the fin I1 is of suificiently large diameter to permit the heater element to be introduced and if necessary replaced in the socket 21.

The housing member l and the disc-shaped plate [2 are supported by a plurality of legs 28 which are provided at their lower ends'with resilient pads 3| to prevent scratching or marring of a polished surface on which the heater may be supported. The legs 28 may be attached :to the disc l2 by means of bolt and nut assembly 33.

One of the cup-shaped housing-unitsis shown at in Fig. 2 and includes an inverted bottom wall having an opening 4| therein corresponding in size substantially to the area of the opening l8.

The sheet metal forming the cup-shaped unit 35 -islbentupwardlyat its peripheral portion to pro- =vide ahead 3.! surrounding thehorizontal portion pf the'inverted cup-shapedunit. Thereafter the sheet'metal extends downwardlyto provideacy- "lindrical portion 36 or the inverted peripheral because the bead l6 and'the adjacent part of the sheet metal forms aseat for receiving the lower edge'of the'skirt 36.

The horizontal portion of the inverted cup- :shaped unit 35-thus provides a fin-ior transferring heat from the'element 22 by'conduction to the petriphery of the housing unit whereby heat'is dissipated from the skirt 35 which forms a partof the periphery of the housing. The cup-shaped member 35 is provided with openings 23 and the fin I? is likewise provided "with openings 23 -to permit-air tocirculate through the heat conducting fins.

Additional cup-shaped units are arranged above the unit 35 and are similar in shape and dimensions and when-arranged in the juxtaposed relationship as shown 'in Fig. 2 provide a composite housing for the heater elements. The cupvshaped unit 40 is provided with a-central opening and this unit .is adapted to support a second heater element 53 thereon. This heater'element .is provided with a. ceramic heat insulating base .54 and a filament 55. The heater element 53 is attached to the annular fin portion of the cupshaped unit All by meansof a plurality'of screws 55. The cup-shaped units above the unit 40 are similar in shape having larger diameter-openings 58 therein to permit cooking utensils-or thelike to be introduced into the topof the hea-terand into the presenceof the heating element 5.3.

An apertulted plate fil is mounted on the ini in the top of the device and thereby provide a guiding surface for anycooking utensils '.or the lflre which are tobeintroducedinto thetop of the .housing.

:An annular plate 1.5 ,is arranged .over the top 1 of the assembled cup-shaped units and provides a clamping ring for a plurality of bolts H which extend through aligned openings in all of the cupshaped units and through openings in the fin I! of the housing part I0. Spacer elements 68 surround the bolts H between each of the cup-shaped units and the spacer elements are preferably yieldable so as to permit the skirt of each cupshaped unit to be urged into the seat of the cup- .shaped unit therebelow. These spacer elements maybe formed of asbestos fibers.

The peripheral or skirt portion of each cupshaped unit is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced ports 13 for the purpose of permitting air to move therethrough and in genera'lto promote the circulation of air through the housing. The top of the device may be closed by a swingable cover Bl which is mounted to swing about a bolt 82. The cover 8| may be turned to a position to close the well or moved to a posi- :tion:to permitiarticles to be heated to be introduced into the topportion of thehousing so as to be supported'on the plate 61.

Thedeviceiisprovided withazhandle 9| which includes arms-92 attachedto diametrically opposite parts of the housing by means of boltand .nut assemb1ies93. The handle may therefore be swung to a position illustrated in Fig. 1 or turned .to-a vertical position for carrying the device.

The two heating elements 24 and may be .deenergized by disconnecting both of these elements from the supply circuit as shown in the ofi position of Fig. 4. I Current is supplied to the heating elements through a cable 98 which .is provided with a detachable connection to the base plate I 2 as indicatedat 91. Other conductors extend threugh the insulating base l2 and are connected to the heater element in any suitable manner. .Ifit is desired to employ both the filamerit 55 and the filament 2t forheating purposes, the switchielements.may'bearranged in the posi- -tion as shownat. in Fig. 4, wherein both heat- .ers are energized and are connected in parallel to supply a maximum amount of energy to the heating elements for dissipation therefrom. In the eventthat theheater element 53 and its filament 55 are to be energized, then the switch parts may be arranged in the position as shown at 100 in Fig. 4 whereby'only the top heater element is energized. The heater may also be employed with both of the'filaments 24 and 55 in series and the switch parts may then be arranged in the position shown at I01 in Fig. 4 whereby'both heater elements are energized and in series with each other to reduce the current flowing in the heater circuit and accordingly the amount of energy which is dissipated by both of these devices.

The invention has been described with reference to specific structural details and particularly with respect to the fin and housing units. It will be appreciated thatother types of annular seats may be provided on the housing units so as to prevent lateral displacement of these juxtaposed members and such changesmaybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setriorthinthe appended-claims.

I. claim:

1. In anelectricalheater, a cylindrical housing member, a disc ..formed of insulating material closing a lower end of said cylindrical housing member, an annular-horizontal heat conducting fin integral with the upper end. of said housing member, anelectrical .heater elementmounted on said vdiscextending upwardly from a central portioni'therenf,..saidsannular .fin having an opening therein surrounding said heater element, an in tegral bead carried by the peripheral portion of the housing member at the upper end thereof, an inverted cup-shaped housing unit including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within said bead, a horizontal annular fin integral with the housing unit, said last-mentioned fin having an opening therein surrounding said electrical heater element, an annular bead carried by the periphery of the housing unit, a series of inverted cupshaped housing units each including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within the head of a housing unit therebelow, a disc shaped heater element supported on one of the housing units of said series above the first electrical heater element, a plurality of inverted cup-shaped housing units above the second heater element each including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within the bead of a housing unit therebelow, and integral horizontal annular fins carried by each of said plurality of housing units each having an opening therein with an area at least as great as the cross sectional dimensions of the second heater element.

2. In an electrical heater, a cylindrical housing member, a disc formed of insulating material closing a lower end of said cylindrical housing member, an annular horizontal heat conducting fin integral with the upper end of said housing mem her, an electrical heater element mounted on said disc extending upwardly from a central portion thereof, said annular fin having an opening therein surrounding said heater element, anintegral bead carried by the peripheral portion of the housing member at the upper end thereof, an inverted cup-shaped housing unit including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within said head, a horizontal annular fin integral with the housing unit, said last-mentioned fin having an opening therein surrounding said electrical heater element, an annular bead carried by the periphery of the housing unit, a series of inverted cup-shaped housing units each including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within the bead of a housing unit therebelow, a disc shaped heater element supported on one of the housing units of said series above the first electrical heater element, a plurality of inverted cup-shaped housing units above the second heater element each including a cylindrical depending skirt seated within the head of a housing unit therebelow, integral horizontal annular fins carried by each of said plurality of housing units each having an opening therein with an area at least as great as the cross sectional dimensions of the second heater element, and a lid swingable in a horizontal plane to close the upper end of the top housing unit.

CHARLES F. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,218,206 Panasevitch Mar. 6, 1917 1,502,873 Oberg July 29, 1924 1,673,370 Murray June 12, 1928 1,724,198 Hauser Aug. 13, 1929 1,788,516 Gannon Jan. 13, 1931 1,823,067 Smalley Sept. 15, 1931 1,926,473 Wood Sept. 12, 1933 2,256,049 Gallup Sept. 16, 1941 2,276,144 Bergstrom Mar. 10, 1942 

